White woman, 39, who pretended to be Black, now gives herself AFRICAN name (photos)

- Rachel Dolezal, the US woman who pretended to be Black all her life before her parents exposed her in 2015, has now given herself an African name

- Her new name is Nkechi Amare Diallo, with Nkechi being Igbo for "gift of God"

- Rachel has said she faces difficulty securing employment and is struggling to look after herself and her three children

Rachel Dolezal, the former leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Spokane branch in Washington who pretended to be Black all her life before her parents exposed her in 2015, has now given herself an African name.

Rachel Dolezal, born White, pretended to be Black all her life before her parents exposed her in 2015

According to reports, Rachel, 39, legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo in October last year, drawing from several African languages.

In the Nigerian Igbo language, Nkechi, which is short for Nkechinyere, means "gift of God." Diallo draws from the Fula language spread across West Africa and means "bold."

Rachel's reputation took a serious hit in 2015 when her parents outed her as being White, leading to loss of her position as an NAACP leader as well as a professor at a Washington university.

Rachel with curly hair that gave her a "Black" look, and a younger Rachel with much straighter hair

She has since struggled to get employed despite making over 100 job applications. She says her friend is helping her to pay her rent and she's struggling to make ends meet, including providing for her three children.

Observers say her name change is an attempt to give her a new start and change her narrative to a more positive one. She has written a book, titled In Full Color, about her life and experience as a White woman living as a "Black" woman and is due to launch it in April.